The line-up for Manchester Pride’s Gay Village Party has been revealed - with an ‘exciting and diverse’ range of performers including Spice Girls’ Melanie C and Girls Aloud’s Nadine Coyle.
A variety of acts will perform across three different stages - the Alan Turing stage, the MancUnity stage, and the Cabaret Stage. Two trans organisations, Trans Creative and Milk Presents, will kick off the party with Trans Filth and Joy on Friday, August 26.
A number of headliners, DJ’s and performers will perform at the main Alan Turing stage in Sackville Gardens over the weekend, including Melanie C, Nadine Coyle, Charity Shop Sue, and Drag Race UK star Bimini.
The MancUnity stage at Chorlton Street Car Park will host a variety of takeovers co-designed with some of Manchester’s best promoters and DJs to highlight the best queer talent that Manchester has to offer.
Fat Pride will kick off the stage on August 26, celebrating big bodies with an evening of dancing, partying, showing off and feeling good.
Black Pride MCR will celebrate the black roots of house music, disco, funky house, vocal and tribal, with performances from DJs and iconic dancers from the Northern Vogue Ballroom scene. Some of Manchester’s best female talent will also be taking to the MancUnity stage for the Queer Women’s Takeover including DJ Mix-Stress and DJ Róis, founder of What She Said Club.
The cabaret stage at Sackville Car Park will host a number of incredible cabaret acts, including ‘The Enby Show’, which has been described as an “electric, unique and vibrant” gender-bending variety show that bins the binary and crashes the cis-tem. The Bitten Peach, a gender-diverse, pan-Asian collective showcasing joy and excellence will also perform. There will also be appearances by all-female/non-binary theatre and cabaret company Pecs Drag Kings and Duncan James from Proud Cabaret.
Other performers taking part in Manchester Pride this year are Danny Beard, Cheddar Gorgeous, Kitty Scott-Claus, Ginny Lemon, Katherine Ellis, Jsky, Nathaniel J Hall, NIMMO, Tia Kofi, Bailey J Mills, SWAGGA, Victoria Scone, Yshee Black and Rozalla.
Alongside three stages, the Gay Village will also host the ‘ultimate street party’ with an array of markets, performances and parties across village venues. This year's Manchester Pride will be different to previous years after bosses said they wanted the event to reclaim its activist roots.
Mark Fletcher, CEO at Manchester Pride, said: “We’ve worked closely with our communities to provide a line-up that platforms the amazing, diverse queer talent that Manchester has become famed for. And, we’ve invited a few well known friends and allies along to join them on stage as we celebrate LGBTQ+ life and embed a true sense of community across the weekend.”
Other events announced as part of the Pride celebrations include Youth Pride MCR and Family Pride MCR, where young people and families will be able to join in the celebrations with a series of free curated events. Superbia, Manchester Pride’s year-round programme of culture, will host the Superbia Weekend, will also offer a series of alcohol-free events for those who wish to enjoy Manchester Pride in a more tranquil environment.
The Gay Village Party will draw to a close with the Candlelit Vigil on August 29. Tickets to Manchester Pride are available now.
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